Twisted Motivations is a 2-man project that consists of Kevin Colo (The Music), and Darrell Pingree (Vocals, Lyrics). Amazingly, you'd never know this was a 2-man project given the sound and style of the disc, which is a very progressive metal disc in the same vein as Fates Warning or Mindcage (another US independent). The other amazing aspect of the disc is that the guitarist, Kevin Colo, proclaims to have not heard any Fates Warning music previous to recording this disc. This is not to say that Twisted Motovations is a Fates Warning clone, just that the song styles and general "feel" of the disc belongs in that camp.

Musically, the songs are structered around the layered guitar work of Colo, in which he tracks down many layers of guitars, along with an underlying accompaniment of acoustic guitar which gives the sound an added warmth and fullness. At times the sound can be a heavy barrage of crunching guitars, and almost immediately transform the song into a soft, lush acoustic passage. It's very easy to hear the many layers of guitars in the mix, giving it an almost "calculated" sound, much like how a Fates Warning disc feels. The songs themselves are built around complicated verses and choruses mixed in with soft emotions and heavy aggression. Somehow the songs come together in melodic harmonies that aren't always expected in a progressive metal disc. Songwriting is top notch, to say the least, and it's obvious that a lot of thought went into not only making this quality progressive metal, but also that the right amount of melodies were injected to keep the listener interested.

Darrell Pingree sounds a lot like a combination of Ray Alder during the soft moments, and Bruce Dickinson during the more aggressive passages. He uses lots of vocal harmonies to compliment the guitar harmonies which make it all sound even more full and rich. He doesn't stray very often out of range, but on occasion does hit high notes with ease when called upon. The lyrics was well thought out and brought out to the forefront by Pingree with emotion and passion. The 9:40 song "Marjan" is a standout vocally, showing the passion, emotion and sincerity in Pingree's voice.

The sound is quite full and thick and nicely recorded for a 2-man project using a drum machine. Some may cringe at the mention of the machine, but it works well here for this team, and the double kick drums are precisely placed in the songs and do them much justice. All instruments are recorded cleanly and precisely, with getting equal time and placement. My only complaint here would be the bass, which sounds like a part of the mix rather than an instrument. For an indy project though, this is a standout and sounds better than lots of bands who record their own music.

If you like Fates Warning-inspired music that draws on emotion, passion, aggression and softness all at the same time, Red Shift has it all. It's a quality progressive metal disc that contains quality songwriting, performance and effort. This is definitely worth hearing.